


Sing Me to Sleep

by Beautiful_Doom



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Insomnia, M/M, Siren!Rhys, siren au, slight sugar daddy, traditional siren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-06-08 03:32:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6837484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beautiful_Doom/pseuds/Beautiful_Doom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Handsome Jack is suffering from insomnia and desperate for some sleep. He knows the legends of sirens on Pandora. How their song could put anyone to sleep. Of course, convincing a siren to sing for him isn't as easy as he thought. Especially when he starts developing feelings towards one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'd Kill to Fall Asleep

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Borderlands story so please comment and tell me what you think so far. Thank you guys so much!

All Handsome Jack wanted was some goddamn sleep.  
Of course sleep was a luxury that all his billions of dollars couldn't seem to afford. Really it was no surprise. Jack was a busy man, an important man. The kind of man that everyone wanted to kill for some reason or other. Years of paranoia had trained him to sleep in a light sleep, able to wake up and defend himself if need be (he also slept with a few guns under his many pillows). That, combined with his hectic work schedule, often robbed him of something as simple as sleep.  


Normally Jack took it in stride. Lots of coffee and sheer stubbornness often got him through his days. He'd work, collapse, wake up, work, repeat. Oftentimes 'collapse' was meant literally, leaving Jack on the floor of his office or penthouse. He took that in stride too, and no one had the courage to confront him about it.  


But lately Jack's schedule seemed even worse that usual. All of his competitors suddenly decided to launch new guns and new upgrades all at once, leaving Hyperion to work overtime to outmatch them all. Jack practically lived on coffee and fumes as he went to meetings, reviewed reports, barked orders, and so much more. It had gotten so bad that Jack's productivity began to suffer, and that was the one thing Jack refused to take in stride. He was man enough to admit that he was not in a good state and needed help. More specifically, he needed sleep.  


A quick trip to the doctor had sleep aids come up as the suggestion. Really, sleep aids? Pills that may grant Jack the sleep he needed, but also carried the risk of addiction. Jack liked having control, and addiction did not sit well with him. The doctor managed to escape Jack's wrath, despite not having anything else to offer. Jack wondered if it was because his lack of energy. After all, he was already conking out during meetings and not managing to look even slightly threatening or enraged with drooping eyes and such unsteady movements. There were whispers of his weakness all over Helios, and it just fueled his paranoia that someone was going to make an attempt on his life.  
Which just led to even more sleepless nights.  


Handsome Jack had grown desperate for the sweet bliss of slumber. It was to the point that he was entertaining any idea that would come to him. It was one night when he was curled up on his couch and lazily watching some slasher film that he remembered an old legend from Pandora: The Desert Sirens. These creatures were supposed to be beings of great beauty that had been blessed with magical voices. One song from a siren could ease anyone to sleep. Not just any sleep, but a sleep that could completely rejuvenate anyone, making then wake with boundless energy. That was just what Jack needed, and he was desperate enough to try it. He immediately booted up his laptop and began to look for any information about the sirens. In his sleep deprived mind, he really believed he could find one.

~O~  
The Hyperion guard stared at the sight before him.  
Handsome Jack was slowly swaying in place, head down and... snoring. He had fallen asleep while standing up somehow, much to the guard's surprise. They had touched down on Pandora and had been busy getting Jack's car ready for him. Plenty of people had offered to drive, but Jack had waved them all off in the negative. Something about scaring the siren off with their guns and amour, whatever that could mean.  
Still, the guard needed to let Jack know that the car was ready to take him out to the desert. He briefly considered letting someone else do it, or not do it all, but it was his job. If Jack found out he hadn't done his job... he didn't want to think of what would happen.  
"Sir?" He said. Jack didn't wake up.  
"Sir?" The guard tried again, but louder. Jack snorted and mumbled, but still didn't look up. The guard sighed and moved closer, putting his hand on Jack's shoulder.  
"Sir-" Jack was awake before he could say anything else. There was a bang, and the guard hit the ground. Jack looked around himself with wide eyes, trying to find the threat. He instead saw the dead guard on the ground and sighed.  
"Is my fucking car ready?!" He barked, holstering his smoking gun. What a waste of a bullet. Stupid guard should've known better than to touch him...


	2. Voice of Honeydew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It can't be that hard to find a siren, right?

The thing about sleep deprivation is that it impairs your thought process.

It wasn't until hours later that Handsome Jack finally realized how bad of an idea this all was. He was driving a car in the endless Pandoran desert with only a few weapons and an echocomm to call for backup with. In short, he wasn't in the best state and his danger of dying was at an all time high. Not to mention he was looking for something with no idea where it could be, what it looked like, or even if it was real or not. 

But he was Handsome Goddamn Jack. 

He did this kind of stuff for a living. He went up against the odds no matter how stacked they were, he risked his health and the health of others for fun and profit, and he always came out on top in the end. A little trekking through a Pandoran Desert was nothing compared to the others things he'd done in life. The desert didn't look all that bad anyway. Sure he had come across packs of skags, swarms of raks, and even a few things that hadn't been discovered yet (he'd taken pictures and marked locations for the scientists back on Helios, and was already working on what to name the new creatures). He was fine, at least that's what he kept telling himself. 

Jack finally stopped the car and stepped out for a breather. Pandora air wasn't the cleanest, but he needed something to clear the haze of exhaustion in his mind. The sun was bearing down on him with an intense heat that he felt through all the layers of clothing he was wearing. Fuck it, this was a nightmare, and from the ones he was usually plagued with. His grandma wasn't here with that damned ax in her hand, Dahl wasn't invading, he wasn't staring down his own mortality... ok, maybe he was. 

"Oh, this was such a shit idea," he finally muttered. "Why did I even come out here? What was i thinking? This is something I expect one of those morons in accounting to come up with, not me!" He had no audience to agree or disagree, only his echocomm that was currently turned off. Jack banged his head against the top of the car in frustration. Seriously, what was he doing? He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, feeling another bout of weakness gripping his very muscles. "Fuck it!" He snapped. "Fuck this place, and fuck everything! I am NOT going to be killed by something stupid as not sleeping!" He got back in the car and peeled off, determined once again. 

Even later, the determination had just about run out. The sun was setting, and Jack had no idea where he was going. Any map that he had brought was useless, and he was almost certain that he had just about driven a ring around the planet. He was sipping from the canteen he had brought and was debating on giving up. He couldn't very well show his face on Helios if he came back empty handed. His life was one thing, but his pride was another. Maybe he could murder the guards he had brought with him to keep it all a secret... 

He had tilted his head back for another drink when he noticed a glint in the distance. Eyebrows furrowed, he squinted. What could be reflecting the sun so far out here? Whatever it was was over by a small rock formation that was otherwise alone in the hot dry sands. If it was valuable, then at least he could come back with something. Jack slowly drove out to the rocks, no longer trusting himself to handle high speeds. He'd stripped himself down to just his shirt, designer clothes that cost more than the latest Hyperion laptops sitting in the back in a pile. He briefly remembered some survival tip about pissing on them to block the sun, but he'd be damned if he was going to so much as spit on them. Blood he could handle, but he drew the line at piss. 

The rocks seemed to mock him as he parked the car. Whatever was shining was gone and Jack banged his head on the steering wheel in fury. A mirage? A trick of the sun? Jack was running out of time, and now his one hope was gone. Maybe he'd just cut his losses and murder the crew when they got back. No one had to know he didn't find what he was looking for. He went to start the car again- What was that?! Something definitely had just moved on the rocks. 

Jack hurriedly got out and rushed forward. Whatever it was was not getting away easily. He pulled out his favorite gun and ran between the boulders. "I saw you!" He crowed. "I saw you, cupcake! I know you're here! Come on out, I won't hurt you... too much! Just need a little song... Just a little one... Come on, dum dum, where are-" And then he saw it. Silhouetted against the setting sun and perched upon the nearest boulder. Beautiful luscious brown hair, captivating eyes of blue and brown, tall and pale (unnaturally pale for a desert dweller), and dressed in what had once been fancy clothes that were now torn and showed off more of that delectable skin. 

Jack lowered his gun and just stared at this ethereal creature. Well, he was also staring at its arm. It was made of metal, and it was... a Hyperion model? Jack moved closer to look to be sure, but there was no doubting that it was Hyperion made. Upon closer examination, he also noticed the being's blue eye was an echoeye. How the hell did a siren get Hyperion tech? He'd say the thing wasn't a siren, but the glowing tattoos left little room for that. Whatever, he'd figure it out later after a good night's sleep. He cleared his throat and swept back his sweat soaked hair. "Hey cupcake, uh..." sleep deprivation was really messing with his verbal skills. "You wanna... come down? Have a chat? Sing a little song for me?" 

The siren tilted his head, almost in confusion. Ah shit, could sirens even speak English? Jack almost broke down. Please god, have mercy on him. Let the siren understand him. He nearly cried when he siren jumped down next to him. He was a little shorter than Jack, but even more breathtaking up close. Those sharp eyes and soft lips. Jack was starting to wonder if it would be considered unnatural to have fantasies about this being. "Hey," He gave his trademark grin, the grin that signed a million deals and broke a million hearts. "Hey look, need a small fa...vor..." The siren was touching him. Normally Jack shot anyone who dared to just touch him, and he had to reign that instinct in. The siren didn't seem to notice as he played with Jack's hair, tugged at his shirt, poked the clasps of his mask. Jack had to quickly step back, this was getting too creepy. "Hey now, easy there," he said. "No one touches the goods without getting a bullet in their head. I mean I know I'm irresistible, but there are boundaries, ok? Now less touchy and more singy, ok? Chop chop." 

But even as he spoke, the siren was distracted by the glowing shield he was still wearing. His fingers traced the metallic ornament that adorned his chest, and Jack could see the universal expression of desire in his eyes. So this siren wanted his shield? It was the most impressive shield Hyperion, or anyone, produced. One of a kind and owned only by him. He had spares, so he wasn't hurting for one. If this siren wanted a trinket as payment, then he would gladly give it over. At least the siren didn't want one of his guns. 

"A deal?" Jack took the shield off and held it up. "You give me a song and I give you the shield. Sound good? Huh? Song for shield?" he made giving gestures and hummed a few notes. The siren's eyes lit up with understanding as it hummed back those same notes. Damn, even his humming was amazing. Jack helped secure the shield on the siren's cropped and torn shirt. "Ok, hang on. Lemme find a good position..." he chose a spot that would hide him in the rocks. Pandora was dangerous at night, after all. He sat down and made himself comfortable on the ground. His spot would also promise shade from the sun, so he wouldn't have to worry about frying alive. 

Jack had just gotten comfortable when the siren began to sing. He sang in words that Jack didn't understand, but Jack didn't care as he was suddenly put under the siren's spell. Everything else seemed to fade away. Pandora, Helios, Hyperion, heck even Jack's job seemed to fade from his mind. Only this siren existed. Nothing else was important. The setting sun put a dark blur on everything as Jack watched the siren and listened to him sing. Already, he could feel himself calming down. Years of hard work and burdens from forever ago lifted from his shoulders like chains being unlocked. Shackles were removed, thoughts were stilled, his very name was stripped away. He...was no one. No one at all. This siren was his everything, and he wanted nothing more than to serve him. To love him. To worship him. 

Jack didn't know how long the song went on for, but he was soon on his back and looking up at the night sky. The stars... they were beautiful. He'd steal one and give it to his new deity. He'd steal all the riches in the world for him. He'd give his own life should it be demanded of him. But first... First he needed sleep. All the world was still a blur when Jack slowly closed his eyes. He soon fell into the deepest sleep he'd ever had before. The deepest, most peaceful sleep he'd ever had before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the positivity! Please comment and let me know how I'm doing. Thanks so much, everyone!


	3. Refreshed to the Nines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack feels like his old self again.

Handsome Jack was usually quick to wake up.

A good jolt upright, a quick smash to the alarm clock, and Jack was ready to go. What followed was a minimum of two cups of coffee (which had grown into nearly an entire pot since his sleep schedule all but faded from existence), a quick shower, and an even quicker bite to eat. Time was money, after all. But this particular morning Jack woke up slowly, calmly, and refreshingly. He slowly sat up, yawned, and brushed some sand from his hair. It was as he was scratching the back of his head that he realized that he was covered in sand. Nothing a quick shower couldn't fix... well this one might need to be a bit longer. He didn't smell as good as he would've liked. 

Jack's mind was blissfully blank as he stretched, leaning against one of the boulders to stretch his back and legs. It was a beautiful day, wasn't it? Jack smiled and began to hum a song that had filled his happy dreams all through the night. A song. A song... A... song...? 

It all came back to Jack in a sharp pain to the side of his head. He gripped his temple with a grimace, suddenly remembering everything. He'd come out here to find a siren to sing him a lullaby, and... it had worked! Jack took a quick assessment of himself, and he liked what he felt. He felt unstoppable! Powerful! Energized! He felt like he used to before all this insomnia shit happened. Jack whooped and let out a bout of laughter. It worked! Oh, he was going to tear the universe a new one, or at lease he felt like he could. Nothing was going to stop him! And he had his little siren friend to thank. 

Jack looked around, hoping to spot him, but there was no sign of the siren anywhere. Where had he gone? Jack wanted to go find him, but his watch began to beep. He had to get back to Helios. He had a company to run, and now he had a newfound energy to run it with. He had so much to get done, things he hadn't been able to in his weakness, but now... But now... Now he was going to take care of business. 

Jack quickly dug a tracer from his pocket and stuck it to one of the boulders. If he needed to come back at least he would be able to find his siren again. Yeah... HIS siren. He all but jumped into the car and cranked the stereo up as loud as it would go, and rolled all the windows down. If anyone was out that day, they would talk about hearing the heavy bass of some music and peals of ecstatic laughter. 

It was after Jack left when the siren came back, dragging a dead skag behind it, and already munching on one of its dismembered legs. His new friend was sure to be hungry, and he owed him for the nice shiny new shield he had given him. He dropped the skag near his formation and carefully set down a Maliwan model gun. After being introduced to firearms, he couldn't be bothered to kill with just his teeth and claws anymore. Anyway, where was his new friend? His car was gone... and so was he. The siren whined when he saw that Jack was no longer there. He really wanted another trinket. Oh, Jack had left him one. The siren spotted the flashing tracer on the boulder and pinned it to his shirt right below his shield. He liked it a lot, but hopefully Jack would be back with other things. The siren carried some skag meat up to his perch on the rock, and sat down to eat. It was another beautiful day...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the feedback! It's really helping to motivate me and it lets me know what you guys wanna see. Please keep it going. Comment and let me know how you're liking the ride so far.


	4. I Met a Lady in the Meads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack gets his work done with the promise of lots of blood and tears

It was a day that would go down in Hyperion history.

Everyone who worked there would forever remember the day that Handsome Jack came in, eyes full of fire and practically crackling with a newfound strength and will. It was such a drastic change that many people suspected a doppelganger, though no one would say it out loud. This possibly fake Jack was quick to get to his business, and that involved taking out a lot of people he hadn't been able to before. People were shot, airlocked, shot out of the moon canon, and many other things. But Jack just did it all with his classic manic smile and a wild glint in his eye. 

"Ok, so... one of you is supposed to get promoted and the other is supposed to die," Jack said. He was in his office with two people in front of him; Chubby and Skinny as he called them. "The problem is, I got the papers mixed up so I can't remember who was supposed to do what. So... how about you two just fight to the death and the winner gets the promotion?" Chubby and Skinny nervously looked at each other and then back at Jack as if asking if he were joking. 

"I'm serious. Fight for it. You can use anything in the office as a weapon, but if you break something valuable it's coming out of your paycheck. Or funeral fund. Now let's go. Chop chop!" Jack clapped his hands and leaned back to watch the events unfold. 

"S-sir, I couldn't possibly-" Was all Skinny managed to get out before Chubby tackled him to the floor. 

"Yeah!" Jack whooped. "Get him! Kill him! Come on, you want that promotion, don't you?" 

Skinny was soon fighting back, smashing a large paperweight into Chubby's face. He kicked himself free and looked around for something to fight with. He spotted a gun in Jack's curio cabinet and was quick to snatch it up. Jack chuckled and watched with excitement. Chubby let out a low growl and got back up, blood dripping from his face. 

"S-stay back!" Skinny shouted. "I'm not dying today! This is bullshit!" To Chubby's surprise, Skinny turned the gun on Jack instead. "I'm done taking orders from a maniac! It ends today!" 

Jack didn't look very scared for a guy that had a gun pointed at him. He nonchalantly ate some pretzels from a bag and waited to see what would happen. Chubby laughed and began to approach Skinny. 

CLICK! 

Skinny's face paled as he once again pulled the trigger with no result. That was all Chubby needed to once again launch himself at the other. A few wrestling moves and a massive neck breaker later, Skinny was no more. 

Jack applauded Chubby as he chewed loudly on his pretzels. 

"Congrats. The promotion's yours. Gotta say, though... you sure didn't seem to have a problem approaching that guy when he had a gun. You got a deathwish or something?" Jack took the bag with him as he approached the still bleeding worker. 

"Nah," said Chubby. "I just knew it wasn't loaded." 

"Oh?" Jack said with his mouthful. "And how did you know?" 

"You're not stupid enough to have a loaded weapon outside your reach in your own office," said Chubby. "I know you're better than that." 

Jack raised an eyebrow, nodding approvingly. "Changed my mind," he said. "Forget wherever you're going. Get your ass on my security team. I want you leading these dum dums." 

Chubby happily accepted his new job and left Jack alone to call in a cleaning crew. "Another one down. Man, I am just blowing through this list of shit to do," he laughed and ate some more pretzels. "God these pretzels still suck..." 

~O~ 

The carnage lasted for three days. Three days of total terror and a manic Jack. But even as Jack was happy that he was back in top shape, he noticed something aggravatingly familiar. He couldn't fall asleep. Like at all. Even when he tried to, he would still lie awake in his bed, burning with energy. While he thought about the problem it posed, he decided it wasn't all that important. He'd deal with it later. I mean, obviously he just needed to tire himself out a bit more, right? 

Three days later and he still wasn't sleeping. That worried him enough to spark action. He went to the doctor, but the doctor found nothing wrong. Jack seemed to be in good health, his vitals were ok, nothing was wrong. Unfortunately this time the doctor didn't escape Jack's wrath, and he ended up another casualty of Jack's rampage. Jack stomped out of the medbay in frustration. What the hell was wrong? Was it because of the siren song? It made him sleep and then just kept him up forever? Or was he now unable to sleep on his own? Did he need the song again just to fall asleep? He remembered being put under the spell and shivered. It had felt way too good to be rendered powerless, and he didn't like that. Well, maybe he should stay away for a bit. After all, there didn't seem to be any bad side effects- 

Jack suddenly bent double with a groan as a wave of dizziness washed over him. His strength quickly left his limbs and he fell to the ground. Tired. So tired. He suddenly felt so exhausted, barely able to keep his eyes open. As his vision began to fade, and the nearby doctors saw him and began to swarm, Jack caught a glimpse of Pandora from the window. It almost seemed to laugh at him in the cruelest way. What was happening? Why was he back at square one? Jack lost consciousness as he was carried back to the medbay. No matter how he looked at it... he was not in control... and he was left with no other option than to go see his siren again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hello, it's the plot! It's back!  
> Thanks for all the love that you guys are showing me. This story makes me nervous because I'm not a big time story writer, but it makes me so happy to see all these comments and kudos. You're all so wonderful! Keep the love coming, and please let me know if there's anything you really like or don't like. Thanks again!


	5. Forevermore I'll Be Your Slave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's battery needs a recharge and only one can help him with it.

The sleep that Jack was forced into was not nearly as great as his last one had been.

He was once again plagued by nightmares of his grandmother and her ax. The pain he had felt so long ago echoed through his body as his grandmother 'disciplined' him. The dream shifted to other things like his daughter, his past, and of course the scar that covered his face. Nurses rushed to and fro as Jack thrashed in his forced slumber. Sedatives were pumped into his veins and he finally fell still. Everyone sighed a breath of relief as they drew straws to see who would take care of him. Dr. Norris was the unfortunate winner, but he set his affairs in order and took on his new patient. 

Jack was unconscious for the entire night and most of the next day. He still felt groggy and weak as he woke up, hand running through greasy and unstyled hair. He felt incredible drained in every way possible and almost decided to go back to sleep and brave the nightmares. Almost. Instead, he sat up and looked around. Obviously he was in a private room in the medbay. Someone had put a vase of flowers on his bedside table, which he promptly tipped onto the floor with a satisfying crash. He'd been stripped down to his first layer of clothing, another annoyance, but at least they were smart enough to leave his mask alone. 

The crash had summoned his doctor, whom he gave a good glare to. Dr. Norris cleared his throat and took a seat in a nearby chair. 

"It's good to see you awake, sir. You gave us all quite the scare," he tried to smile, but it died on his lips as Jack's glare deepened. 

"Yeah?" He all but snarled. "And what the fuck happened anyway?" He ripped the IV out of his arm and tossed it aside. Stupid fucking hospital... 

"You collapsed," said the doctor. "Upon examination, you seem to be suffering from a severe case of exhaustion. I did see in your file that we spoke to you about this before, but you declined any sort of sleep aid. Sir, I really must insist that you let us prescribe you something. Your body is in terrible shape." 

"Fuck you!" Jack snapped, standing up and taking a shaky step to the door. He leaned on a nearby chair as the room briefly spun. "I... I know... what I need..." He coughed and gagged slightly, nausea flaring up. 

"You should stay for a bit-" Dr. Norris tried to reason with Jack, but the CEO was out the door as fast as his unsteady legs would take him. Stupid doctors... he didn't need medicine, he needed his siren to sing to him again. What had happened? These last few days he'd been on top of the world, but now he was feeling even worse than before. He had to find more information, and he had to find his siren again. Sure he was a bit quiet, but hopefully Jack could get an answer or two from him. He was in a bad spot, and he needed to fix it before it came back to bite him on the ass. 

Jack stopped in someone's empty office and accessed their computer to do a little research. There wasn't much he could find on sirens, but he did manage to find a few useful things. The one thing he had skimmed over warned about negative side effects of siren songs. If you somehow managed to not get eaten by the siren, their song did horrible things to you in order to keep you under their control. 

Ok, so maybe he should have read that first... 

But there was that saying about desperate times and desperate measures. Besides, he was Handsome Jack. He could handle this. He just needed another song to put him back on track and then he'd be golden. He could figure this out no problem. Jack called up a ship to be prepared for a trip to Pandora, he set up a car to be included, he smashed the computer to erase any trace of what he'd been searching. If anyone found out... well, he just didn't want to deal with any headaches. Besides the one he was getting now as his body begged for rest. Hopefully the siren would still be there... 

~O~ 

The siren... was busy. The needle was perched in his hand and black ink was held in a dip of his boulder. While he enjoyed his siren tattoos, he liked to add more from time to time. This time he was busy working on an elaborate tattoo that wound around his fleshy wrist, metal fingers skillfully drawing it out and bringing it to life. He looked up when he heard something approaching, a large black car that looked very familiar. 

The siren excitedly jumped down to greet the newcomer, happy that he was going to get another present. He watched Jack stumble from the car and rushed out to meet him. 

"Cupcake!" Jack wearily greeted the siren. "Hey! I came back. Look, I'll keep this short. I need you to sing for me again. Last time, I promise." The siren grabbed his hands and began to examine them, frowning when he saw no present. He huffed and walked back to his rock formation, much to Jack's chagrin. 

"So this is how it's gonna be? You want nothing to do with me unless I have something for you? Ungrateful little... you little asshole." Pride told him to drive off, but he ignored it as he became dizzy once again. Fuck it, he'd suck it up. Jack dug around in the car and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a tin of candies. He liked these candies, but he could always get more. 

"Hey wait!" He waved the tin as he stumbled after the siren. "Look! I got something for you! Candy! Very expensive candy! Come get some." This seemed to catch the siren's attention as he turned around and came back to Jack. He opened the tin and curiously sniffed at the candy. Satisfied, he nodded and cleared his throat. The song he sang was just as good as the last one and Jack nearly cried in relief as he once again succumbed to the siren's spell. He let himself fall backward onto the soft sand and closed his eyes. He wished he could stay this way forever. Forever serving his siren, forever making him happy. Able to live as no one and to have no other concern than himself and his beloved deity. The siren was everything he needed. Everything he desired. His top priority. Nothing else mattered in this world... 

The siren continued to hum as Jack slept. He started to eat the candies from the tin and stroked Jack's hair. It was rare for a human to come back after the initial encounter. Especially one that seemed to want nothing more than a song. This human didn't want any of his treasure, he didn't seem to want to harm him, he was content to hear a song and then leave. Maybe he'd come back again. The siren sure hoped so. This human was giving him the best gifts ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the support! I'm glad everyone's enjoying the show so far.


	6. We No Speak Americano

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get lost in translation, but we finally learn the Siren's name.

When Jack awoke the next morning, the siren was there this time.

And if the smell of cooking Rak was anything to go by, he'd gone hunting and brought back food. Jack was so happy to see his siren, and his lazy smile made the siren beam. The CEO slowly made his way over, content to lay his head in the siren's lap and relax as the siren once again stroked his hair. The siren's touches were so soothing, and Jack was wanted nothing more than to stay forever. And why not? It's not like his life had any other purpose. He was here for the siren and nothing else. Nothing else was important. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else... 

It was when the siren brushed against one of the clips for Jack's mask that Jack sat up with a yelp. Once again, the spell shattered and Jack was coherent again. 

"Son of a taint, that feels so weird..." Jack groaned and shook the sand from his hair before brushing it off the rest of him. 

"Taint?" The siren tilted his head in confusion. He pointed at Jack. "Taint?" 

Wait, was the siren asking if his name was 'taint'? Hell no! 

"What?" Jack nearly squawked. "No no no no no no no, cupcake. My name is Handsome Jack." He pointed to himself. 

"Handsome Jack?" The siren said slowly. "Handsome Jack." He had a strange but adorable accent. "Rhys," he pointed to himself. "Rhys." 

So he had a name? For some reason that sounded strange to Jack. A siren having a name. Still, it made sense. He was sentient, he would have a name. 

"Rhys," Jack repeated. God, that was a horrible name. "Ok, so... I just have a quick quesh for you. So like, this whole song thing. Does it expire or something? Because if I weren't so awesome, I woulda been worried about dying yesterday. So does the song only last for so long and then I have to come back, or... is there like a way to make it permanent? Cuz I can't keep coming out here all the time." 

The entire time he spoke, Rhys looked confused once again. He made a vague gesture of not being able to understand Jack, and then went back to cooking the food. 

Jack nearly screamed in frustration. How the hell did he get unlucky enough to get this awesome battery charger and it doesn't speak his freaking language? 

He ran a hand down his face, but moved it when he saw that Rhys was offering him food. The siren had used the empty candy tin as a pan and cooked the meat inside. Jack turned his nose up at the offering. That was Rak meat. Poor people food. Bandit food. Jack had better taste than that. And the meat wasn't even seasoned or sauced. None for him, thanks. Rhys looked disappointed, but then offered Jack some fresh fruit. Jack wasn't a big fan of Pandoran fruit, but he'd never seen this one before. Well, it couldn't be worse than those sucky Hyperion pretzels. He took a bite of the offered fruit and barely managed to swallow the extremely sour fruit. 

"Holy fuck, that was..." he spat a few times. "That was worse than eating a whole lemon. How do you eat that?" He watched Rhys eat two pieces of it at once without so much as flinching. 

Sirens were weird. 

Jack's watch took that moment to beep, alerting him that he once again had shit to do. Rhys curiously looked at the watch, but Jack moved it away. No sense in letting Rhys ask for things Jack wasn't willing to part with... 

"Ok, so... I gotta go now, but I'll be back before the song expires or whatever. And hopefully I can find some kind of translator.... and figure out what language you speak. Anyway! Have fun with your poor people food. Maybe I'll bring back some real food next time." He did a double finger gun at Rhys, and the siren surprisingly repeated the gesture with a smile. Had he seen that before? Jack didn't have time to think about it as he ran back to his car and peeled off into the desert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hugs everyone* You guys are all awesome and I love you all. Keep the love coming, please. Comments are highly appreciated and treasured. Next chapter will be longer and will include one of my fave Borderlands characters, so I decided to just end this here.


	7. Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhys is not impressed with Jack's latest gift.

Handsome Jack was whistling to himself as he drove back to Rhys.

He had timed it and was back on the day before he'd crash. If the spell was consistent then he'd need a recharge soon, and he wasn't about to get sent to the stupid medbay again. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and glanced at the package in the passenger seat. Compliments of Buttstallion, a rare gun for Rhys to enjoy. It might seem like overkill, but he really wanted to stay in Rhys's good graces. 

Rhys was once again perched atop the large boulders of his... camp? Base? Hideout? Eh, the place where Jack always met him. Rhys happily jumped down and ran over to meet Jack as the CEO climbed out of his car. 

"Hey kitten," Jack smiled, ruffling Rhys's hair. Rhys made an annoyed sound and smoothed his hair back down with one hand. The other held a piece of fruit that he was currently eating. It looked like that god awful fruit he'd had Jack try before. The siren's eyes lit up as Jack pulled out the package. "Got you a little something for the next song. You'll love it, Sugar Song, lemme tell ya." 

Jack opened the box and pulled out the gun with a flourish, waiting to see Rhys's reaction. The siren was... disappointed? 

Rhys looked the gun over with an unimpressed look. He finally smacked the gun from Jack's hands and started walking back to his rocks. Jack stared at him, partly confused, and partly enraged. 

"Uh... excuse me? The hell was that?" Jack stalked after Rhys, pissed beyond belief at being rejected like that. This siren obviously had no taste to decline a gun like that. It was one of the best that Buttstallion had ever crapped before! Jack had had to feed the pony quite a bit to get it! He growled, face twisted in a scowl. This siren was really pushing his patience. No one denied Handsome Jack! 

"Look, sweetcheeks-" Jack had grabbed Rhys by the shoulder and suddenly his eyes were on fire. The damn siren had spit acid into his eyes! Why had it never mentioned anywhere that sirens had acid spit?! 

Jack yelled in pain and dug his knuckles into his eyes. This was it. He was blind now. Good luck running a company when you're freaking blind! Well, maybe now he could get some cool cybernetic eyes. Maybe ones that shot lasers. That would be awesome. Jack rubbed at his eyes, still grunting in pain, and some of the acid fell into his open mouth. 

Wow, acid sure was sour. Kinda tasted like... that fruit Rhys had made him try. 

Jack paused, suddenly feeling very stupid. Rhys hadn't spat acid at him... he had spat his mouthful of fruit at him. 

Motherfucker... 

Jack rinsed his eyes out with the canteen of water he had brought. They still stung, but his vision hadn't been affected. If anything, his pride had taken a greater hit. Stupid damn siren. Jack was going to show him who was boss. 

Jack pulled out his revolver and spun around to address Rhys. 

"Ok, kitten. Obviously we need to get a few things straight. Number one, you will not..." he trailed off in a mixture of shock and fear. 

Rhys's eyes were quickly fading into a solid black. Ichor tears fell from his eyes, and his mouth opened to hiss through a wall of jagged sharp teeth. His nails elongated into claws, and he hunched over like some fierce predator, clawing marks into the rock he sat on. Jack realized that Rhys was focused on the gun in his hand. Obviously he knew what it was, and what it did. Or at least that it was a threat. He filed that away for later as he set the gun on the backseat of the car through the window. Rhys calmed, but only slightly. 

Jack had majorly messed up and summoned some sort of predator form in Rhys. Again, why had no one mentioned this on the sites he'd visited? 

He'd made Rhys angry and it was safe to say that Jack would not be getting his song unless he brought something to appease Rhys. There was a town nearby, maybe he could find something there? 

Jack had just managed to get into the car when Rhys pounced. He cleared a good bit of space and shattered the back windshield as Jack peeled off. 

"Fuck!" Jack glanced back the damage and sighed. Sometimes he wondered if Rhys was worth some of the shit he put up with. 

~O~ 

His journey into the town was uneventful. Mostly because he had ditched the car and used his cloaking device to sneak in. He was a powerful man, but he really didn't feel like facing off against a pack of bandits right now. Not while his eyes were still stinging and making it hard for him to keep them open. What kind of filthy town like this could hold anything of value to Rhys? Well, he could always head back to Helios, but that was risking too much with the spell. He didn't want to crash before he got back to Rhys. Again. 

He walked down an alley and spotted a large building. 'The World of Curiosities.' Well, it was a start. Maybe he could find something here...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will include one of my favorite Borderlands characters, and you can all probably figure out who it is. Please keep commenting as it motivates me and helps me get better at my writing. *hugs everyone*


	8. For You, I Will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shade knows just what to get for your special... someone.

This place... well, it was interesting to say the least.

Jack looked around, seeing all kinds of taxidermy, relics, little knick knacks. He saw the luminaries and briefly wondered if the same thing would happen to him when he died (he made a mental note to put it in his funeral file to have his body immediately cremated upon his death. No way in hell was he going to end up like these losers). Though seeing Nakayama on display did brighten his mood a bit. 

He continued walking around the... store? Museum? Loony bin? There had to be someone who ran the place. Then he could buy something and get the fuck out. He didn't have all day, after all. He was an important man with important things to do and people to fire- 

"Hi!" A figure jumped out at Jack, effectively startling him and making him jump back. 

"Jesus fuck!" Jack's gun was already out, but he holstered it with a glare. "Don't do that! I could have killed you!" 

"Sorry," The man gave a sheepish grin. "It happens. I'm very quiet. Oh my, well aren't you good looking? Well of course you are, you're Handsome J-"

"Shut up!" Jack hissed and covered the man's mouth. "Look, I am about to pay a lot of money on some piece of shit you have on a shelf here, so keep your goddamn mouth quiet." 

The man licked the palm of his hand. 

"Ew!" Jack pulled his hands back and wiped it on his shirt. 

"The secretive type, huh?" The man smiled, firecracker cigarette waving slightly. "Well no problem! I get all kinds of those here. Though none as amazing as you. I'm Shade. I own the place. Now, I believe you said you were looking to buy something?" 

Jack took a moment to really look the guy over. Weird floppy hat, floral shirt, shorts, and... bandages? What was with Pandora's lack of fashion sense? Seriously, does everyone get dressed in the dark? Are they colorblind? Do they really think this looks good? The firecracker that hung from Shade's mouth was just the cherry on the melted mess that was the sundae. But it also made Jack want a cigarette of his own. 

"Yeah," he eventually said. "Something for a... a friend." 

"And are they a special friend?" Shade waggled his eyebrows. "No problem! I'm sure we have something your special gentleman or lady will love. Come right this way, let's take a look. Now, what kinds of things do they like?" 

Jack had to admit that Shade had some pretty cool stuff. He wasn't big on Pandora monsters, but the stuffed Bullymong was in pristine condition, and he DID need something for that bare corner of his office. He paid Shade a fair price for it, and Shade was very happy to hear that Jack was still looking for something else and wouldn't be leaving. He wasn't that bad of a host, though a little weird. Jack likened him to a puppy that kept wanting to sniff your butt after you told it no. 

Eventually, Shade showed him some of the relics he had on display. Jack was drawn to a set of bangles that sat in the display case. The bangles were large and shiny, made of gold and studded with all kinds of jewels. How something like this wound up in such a backwater town, Jack had no idea. 

"What are these?" He asked, pointing to the bangles. Rhys seemed to like jewelry. 

"An excellent eye, good sir!" Shade excitedly took the bangles out for Jack to look at. "These are a set of bangles that are rumored to come from a vault! The man who found them tragically died when he got back to town and... well he was nice enough to let me have them!" Shade nervously coughed before he continued. "It's said that these bangles have a special effect for the wearer!" 

"And that is?" Jack had picked one up and was examining it very closely. 

"No idea!" Shade smiled. At Jack's look, he added "But the gold and jewels are real, and that's the only worth I'm selling them at. You won't find a better price. Only thirty thousand!" 

Jack pursed his lips as he looked them over. Shade was obviously overcharging him even for just the the gold and jewels. Still, they were very pretty and Jack knew that Rhys would like them. They were shiny, and Rhys seemed to like shiny. 

"I dunno," he mused. "Sounds kinda pricey." He could afford it a million times over, but it was the principle of the thing. "I'll do twenty." 

" Sorry, good sir, but I stay firm with my prices," Shade shook his head then perked up with an idea. "But I'll tell you what! Those bangles came with a circlet. I'll let you take the whole set home to your special someone for thirty thousand!" Shade pulled out the circlet and Jack looked it over. Same gold, same jewels, and all real. He gave an approving nod. 

"Deal," he said. Shade clapped his hands excitedly and lit the fuse of his firecracker. It launched into the air and exploded into a shower of colorful sparks. 

"Fantastic!" Shade said as Jack stared at him. This man was seriously starting to weird him out and that was saying something. He kept a safe distance as Shade took his money and even gave him a sloppily written receipt. Shade was still smiling with that stick his mouth when Jack left. Well, he hoped he'd never have to go back there again, but... he wasn't going to hold his breath. Shade had some interesting things and Jack may find himself unwillingly needing his help again in the future. 

~O~ 

Rhys wasn't on his rock formation when Jack got back. Jack looked around for the siren, but saw nothing. He began to worry that his siren had left for some other spot int he desert. Do sirens even care about real estate? Maybe there was some other spot that Jack didn't know about. 

His thought were interrupted when one of the smaller boulders moved and Rhys climbed out through a hole in the ground. The hell? What was that? Was that Rhys's... shelter? Well, with all the sandstorms something underground did sound logical. Rhys moved the boulder back to cover the hole, then slid on a pair of green glasses. Jack thought something looked familiar about them... 

But at that moment Rhys saw him and cautiously walked over. Jack saw how tense he was, and figured he was expecting another attack like earlier. His eyes lit up behind the lenses of the glasses when he saw what Jack was carrying with him. Jack happily gave the treasures over to Rhys who promptly put them all on. The bangles clanked merrily together, and the circlet stood out proudly from Rhys's dark hair. 

Jack had just gotten comfortable when Rhys began to sing. In his half asleep state, he could swear he saw the Hyperion logo on those glasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here he is! It's one of my top favorite characters from this game. When I played I was always really nice to him. He's like... a manic little puppy that just wants to play with you and have you pet him. As always, thank you all for the comments and support. Please keep the comments coming!


	9. And Now for a Change in Pace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack thinks about what he can do with his new siren

It was the next night that Jack found himself examining the glasses in his office.

The siren had still been asleep when Jack woke up and left. It had been easy to pluck the glasses off that cute little face and haul ass out of there. Granted, Jack was worried about how the siren would feel about that. Still, technically the glasses were Hyperion property so he couldn't exactly be called a thief. 

The glasses were old, one of the earlier models, and any memory drives or actual tech on it had long since been destroyed or rusted away. Jack had no way of seeing who they had belonged to, and that pissed him off. If someone in his company had had contact with Rhys he wanted to know. It wasn't surprising to learn that someone had. After all, Jack had his little monthly lottery to see who he'd toss down to Pandora to survive for a few days or so. It was a great way of keeping his company in shape and to weed out the weaklings. A few people would be chosen at random, they could choose a few tools or supplies to take with them, and then they would be dropped off at random points of the desert to be collected in a few days. Most managed to come back, but some were never found again. Eggs for the omelette, Jack always said. 

So obviously someone had managed to find Rhys. Had they traded the glasses for a song, or had Rhys killed them and taken them. Sirens were prone to do that. Lure someone in, kill them, eat them, and then loot whatever they wanted from the corpse. Hyperion metal was very reflective when polished correctly, so these had obviously appeased Rhys's need for shiny things. Jack hoped the siren had just killed them. It made him mad to think that someone else had used his siren. 

"Used?" 

Jack took a moment to think on that. It wasn't like he had feelings for the siren. They weren't friends. He used the siren for his songs and that was it. But these constant trips and timing were getting tiring. Maybe he could just bring Rhys up to Pandora? There had to be some kind of weakness that sirens had. And when Jack found out, he could use it to capture and imprison Rhys. He could make the siren sing whenever he wanted, and he wouldn't have to give gifts for it. Jack had been ok with giving gifts at first, but Rhys's stunt today made him realize he was once again no longer in control. Rhys had denied his gift and forced Jack to find another, but if Jack had Rhys in chains... he wouldn't have to worry about that. Hell, if he felt prone to sharing, Jack could make Rhys sing for all his employees. Imagine, a company that never needed to sleep. They could just keep going and going, forever pumping out new things and making so much more money... 

But there was still the problem of Rhys's other form. Jack had seen the creature born of Rhys's fear and anger. It presented a whole other set of problems for Jack. What could this side of Rhys do? How dangerous was it? How could Jack tame it, or at least keep it contained? It was something that Jack would need to study for a bit first. He'd found some information on sirens, but not enough. Someone had to know more information, but who? Where would he find it? 

Jack's eyes trailed to the stuffed Bullymong that proudly stood in his office and he got an idea. That Shade freak. Maybe he'd know more information. It was worth a shot, and Jack was going to have to buy something else from him anyway. Maybe that little weirdo would be able to answer some of his questions. 

But there was still the problem of the glasses. 

If someone on Helios had had contact with Jack's siren and used them in the past, then he wanted to know. The lottery had been discontinued a year ago so they couldn't still be in contact. And if they had the same reaction as Jack then maybe they were feeling the effects of the lack of song... 

Jack set the glasses aside and used his computer to search through company records. Who was suffering from exhaustion? Who was seeing the doctor for sleep aids? Someone had to be doing so, and Jack was going to find out who. A couple of searches found a few records of exhaustion, but one in particular stood out: Someone was suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and the symptoms matched up perfectly. So... this person could be the one. He just needed more information. 

He pulled up the employee's ID number and ran it through Hyperion's records. 

No match. 

Jack stared at those words and furrowed his brows. How could there be no match? Every doctor was required to get the patient's employee number so that it could go in their records. If there was no match, then they would run it by name for the file. Jack went back to the file and looked for a name. As he was reading the record, he finally noticed the tell-tale signs of hacking and redaction. Whoever had gone to the doctor had turned around and messed with their files. They'd removed the date, time, name, and plugged in an invalid employee ID number. Oh this little shit was in deeper than Jack had thought. This was no innocent one time encounter, this was something that they obviously didn't want dug up against them. They knew what they were doing, and they had known all the risks and troubles that would have followed, so they erased their trail. 

Jack swept the computer off his desk in anger, letting it shatter on the floor. The glasses seemed to taunt him, but he resisted the urge to smash those too. They were accounting glasses, that was all Jack knew. Other than that he was in the dark about who had propositioned his siren. Someone else had been using his source of power, and it was going to be a lot harder to find out who. 

Fine then, he would track them down later. For now he had the other problem to worry about. 

If he decided to bring Rhys here and keep him captive, he needed a good place to keep him. He had jail cells below, but that was much too far from his office. He could keep Rhys in the office, but that risked exposing him to others. Maybe he could keep him in his penthouse. That place had the best security in the whole station. No one would be able to get in, and Rhys would not be able to get out. It certainly sounded like a plan, but first he needed to capture the little shit. Jack would bide his time and get all the information he needed before doing so. He wasn't one to rush in and do things sloppy. 

~O~ 

Shade was happily dusting his relics with a feathery duster, humming all the while. No one ever really came in to see his things, but he'd be darned if he ever let someone see his jewel in such a bad state. Besides, Handsome Jack had come in a few days ago, so that proved that people were still interested. All those bandits who told him otherwise had been laughingly wrong, which made Shade glow with pride. 

Shade heard the door open and scurried to the front to greet his customer. 

"Hi- oh, hello Mr. Secretive!" He said, seeing Handsome Jack once again walk through the door. "Back again to get something for your special friend?" 

Jack looked around, hands on his hips, and began to circle Shade's latest stuffed acquisition. 

"Sure," he said. "But... I got a few questions for you first. Know anything about desert sirens? Guy like you should know, right? You got all this...(he cleared his throat) stuff." 

Shade once again beamed with pride and nodded. 

"Well aren't you in luck? i actually know quite a bit. My Grandpappy used to tell me all the stories and was quite the explorer. I mean, he is! Is because he still isn't dead! What did you need to know?" 

Poor Shade had no idea why Jack's grin seemed so wrong, but he paid no mind to it as he let Jack guide him to the back. 

"Just a few things," Jack said. "And then you can show me something else to buy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha! Did you forget that Jack is a megalomaniac? Yeah, I forgot for a second too. Hugs to everyone, and a warning: I will be going on vacation for all of next week so I will not be able to update until I get back. I will try to get one more chapter done before I go, but I can't promise it. So please leave me lots of love and comments to read for when I get back. Love you guys!


	10. We Built this City on Rock and Roll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack learns about the history of Pandora and the sirens.
> 
> NOTE: THIS IS NOT CANON WITH THE BORDERLANDS GAMES. I HAVEN'T EVEN PLAYED ANYTHING OTHER THAN TALES, SO THIS HISTORY IS COMPLETELY MADE UP.
> 
> Enjoy.

Jack hadn't expected this.

He had expected a little talk, maybe a few obscure facts, but he hadn't been expecting a slide show, visual aids, old relics, a very comfy chair, and popcorn that tasted better than the pretzels on Helios. 

Seriously, this popcorn was good. He was going to steal some on his way out. 

But as Jack sat in his comfy chair and ate the popcorn. Shade ran around setting up the projector and screen all while babbling excitedly. Did the guy ever shut up. Jack was glad he didn't talk as much as this guy. 

"I'm so glad you wanna learn this," Shade said as he pulled down the screen and turned the slide projector on. "My grandpappy was the the only one who knew all this history so he taught me so that I could pass it on to my...." he trailed off and looked around the room before clearing his throat. "Well that obviously didn't work out as planned. Anyway, now I get to teach you so that you can go forth and teach it to your own little ones." 

Jack crunched harshly on an unpopped kernel, glaring at Shade all the while. 

"Oh! Touchy subject. My apologies, Mr. Secretive," Shade's grin never faltered as he pulled over a few display cases and finally hit the lights to start his show. "Thousands of years ago... our planet Pandora was populated solely... by sirens." He pulled up a slide that held drawings of sirens. "There were mountain sirens, water sirens, desert sirens, and forest sirens. They were a race of sound and nature, legends saying they could feel the planet spin beneath their feet, or hear the planet sing in happiness or sadness." 

"Sounds like they were smoking something that I wouldn't mind finding," Jack chuckled, munching on his popcorn. 

"You laugh now," said Shade, "but this planet was a paradise when they lived. Luscious forests, blue lakes and rivers, delicious fruits and all kinds of green and blue. They also held advanced technologies that were so far ahead of their time that they even puzzle the modern day scientist when they're found." 

"When they're found?" Jack interrupted, staring at the slides that depicted all kinds of nature and devices. "What do you mean by that?" 

"Vaults," Shade grinned widely, waving his hands animatedly. "Legend says that sirens created vaults, and the treasures within are actually the long lost technology they used. They made several and kept the keys hidden in their villages. Which... well, it was why they were all murdered to the point of near extinction." 

"Near extinction?" Well Jack had to agree. After all, there was at least one siren left. "Wouldn't they have eventually died out anyway if the planet was going under like it did?" 

"Actually no," said Shade. "Sirens are immortal in that they do not die of age. You can still murder them, though, and that's what happened. Bandits, pirates, corporations, explorers of every kind began to come to Pandora seeking the treasures of legend. Some tried to make friends with the sirens. Others... well, they were more of the stabby stabby shooty shooty kind. As a way to defend themselves, the sirens began singing to them to put them under a spell. You see, siren spells were very powerful. They could put the listener to sleep, force different moods upon them, and made them very protective of the siren who enthralled them. The only way to release yourself from a siren's spell is to kill the siren who sang to you. Which resulted in a massive genocide of the sirens." 

Jack did not like the sound of this. The only way to get free from Rhys was to kill him? Surely there was another way. And anyway, he didn't need to get rid of the spell, just control it. He sighed and made a face as Shade pulled over some of the relics and began to talk about them. So Rhys had way more control over him than Jack had orginally thought. Yet another thing Jack did not like the sound of. Still, Rhys seemed content enough to just sing for Jack. As long as Jack kept him happy.... ugh, as long as Jack acted like his bitch. This had gone sour in a heartbeat and Jack hated it. He hated not being in control. Well, he'd just have to find a way to control him. 

"... and so the vault keys were hidden, the sirens were nearly driven to extinction, and Pandora became... what it is now. No more luscious green or blue to be had. But legend says that there are still sirens around, hidden from the eyes of the ones who killed so many of them in the past. I have a journal from my ancestor Hugh who recorded the great killings that went on-" 

"How do you control a siren?" Jack interrupted, crumpling his empty bag and tossing it aside. 

"Control?" Shade scratched his head and pushed his glasses up. "Well... no one knows. People were too busy killing them and dissecting them and experimenting on them. Not to mention the ones sold into slavery didn't really last long. All that can really be told is that taking them off the planet can either weaken them or trigger a feral state." He clicked over a few slides to one that showed a monster similar to Rhys had looked when Jack pointed a gun at him. "These forms were animalistic in nature and and very hard to kill. Sirens have healing factors that are off the charts, able to heal a great many wounds except for growing anything back." 

Well, that explained Rhys's eye and arm... 

"Remove them from Pandora..." Jack mused. So taking Rhys up to space with him may or may not be a good idea. Then again... this was all legends and myths. There was no real way of telling what would happen, so Jack would just have to be careful and take it slow. Yet another thing he did not like to do. 

"Leaving already?" Shade looked sad as Jack stood up. "But there is so much more I can tell-" 

"Those relics, you said they came from the sirens?" Jack looked at the cases and saw what looked like a length of fabric and and a jeweled belt. The symbols on the fabric matched what symbols remained on Rhys's tattered clothes. 

"Indeed!" Shade said proudly. "Brought back by my ancestor Hugh. I'll give you a pretty good price for them." 

Jack nodded as he looked over the relics. "Talk money to me and we'll see how this plays out." 

~O~ 

Later, Jack was carrying his new purchases up to Rhys's rock, but the siren was nowhere to be seen. Jack frowned and looked around. 

"Rhys? You here? I got something you're really going to like." He walked around, but still couldn't find Rhys. "Rhys? Come on, Rhys I have a schedule to keep-" 

He was interrupted as something knocked him off his feet. He reached for his gun, but a clawed hand gripped his wrist, and Jack found himself looking into the black eyes of feral Rhys. The siren hissed at him, weight heavy on Jack's chest, and Jack tried to think of a way to get out of this alive without killing Rhys. 

But then the siren began to dig through Jack's pockets. He finally pulled out the Hyperion glasses Jack had stolen and put them back on, glaring at Jack all the while. Jack waited with bated breath as Rhys slowly let him go and walked away. 

"The glasses? You just wanted the glasses?" Jack asked, sitting up. "What's so special about some dumb-" 

And then Rhys began to sing. 

Unlike his previous songs, this one was low and guttural. It evoked fear and panic within Jack instead of the usual peace and bliss. Jack tensed, fear flooding through him, then he tried to scramble away, but the power of the song drained his strength and left him paralyzed in the sand. He whimpered and struggled, hearing and seeing horrific visions of his past. His grandmother, his daughter's death, and so many other things. He curled in on himself, begging anyone who could hear him for help. To save him from these horrors. But looking up, he only saw Rhys's dark, ichor dripping eyes. And that was the last thing he saw before his body gave out and he faded into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys miss me? Oh vacation was so great. I had so much fun, and I had plenty of time to think up where I want this story to go. So everyone please hold on as it may get a little bumpy from here on out.


	11. I've Got You Under My Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack talks to Timothy about his problems and sees a different side to Rhys's powers.

When Jack woke up his heart was still racing.

Flashes of his nightmares were still fresh in his mind as he scrambled across the sand, still trying to get away from them. He finally stopped when he realized he was no longer in his childhood home and his Grandma with her ax was nowhere to be seen. In fact the only thing Jack saw was Rhys. The siren was sitting by the fire with the accountant's glasses perched on his face. Jack was having trouble telling the other's expression, but it looked dangerous. It was as if Rhys was trying to silently warn him to not steal from him again. 

If Jack had been in his right mind he would have said something. He would have yelled at Rhys, he would have done something to show that he was not someone to fuck with either, but his song induced panic caused him to instead jump in his car and peel out of there. 

~O~ 

Timothy was glad to be back on Helios. His tasks were done and now he had some downtime to relax and... actually be himself and not Handsome Jack for a bit. Even now he was swaggering through the halls of Helios, shooting glares at anyone who made eye contact and thoroughly ignoring everyone else. You know, acting his part. It was a real job at times, and not one that he always enjoyed. For one thing it was often like having a kitten try to play a lion. Reluctant murder included. It was true that Timothy hated killing people, but he had loans to pay off and no other way to do so. 

He made his way up to Jack's office, wanting to check in with his employer. He got quite the surprise when he walked in to Jack's office and saw the man slumped over his desk. He knew Jack had been having trouble sleeping, but he'd told Timothy that he'd found a solution. 

"Boss? You ok?" Timothy walked up to Jack's desk and looked down at the man. Jack looked awful even with his mask on. His usually nicely coiffed hair was mussed, he was missing his jacket, and his face was missing his cocky smirk. 

"No, Tim Tams, I'm fine," Jack groused. "This is just my newest look I'm trying out." He leaned back in his chair, tilting to the side slightly. 

"At least you're well enough for sarcasm," Timothy rolled his eyes. "Seriously, what's wrong? I thought you said you had solved your sleeping problems." 

"Yeah, but then the solution came with his own problems," said Jack. "Stupid fucking little... after all I gave him!" 

"'Him'?" Timothy repeated. "Who's... Jack, are you employing a... a...(how to put this delicately?) a happytime person?" Jack gave Timothy an incredulous look. 

"Am I emp- no! No, I am not- wait... huh, I guess he kind of is in a way... I dunno, it's hard to think with these relaxers..." Jack said, leaning back in his chair once again. "Look, the point is that shit's messed up right now, but I'm going to fix it. I.... am going to fix it. I just need to decide how... and how many guns I'm gonna need for it. You... I don't want you getting involved, so you keep your nose outta it." 

Timothy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Jack was so damn stubborn and stupid at times, but he new Jack's subtle threats and that he made good on them always. It was best to give him space and hope he didn't end up making himself worse. In the meantime, Timothy had stuff to do. 

"Fine," he said. "Just don't hurt yourself." He stood up and began walking around the office, clearly looking for something. "I know you joke that I'm supposed to take over for you, but let's not make that a reality." 

Jack squinted at Timothy. "What are you looking for? This is my office. All the shit in here is mine." 

"I special ordered myself some candy and sent it here for safe keeping," said Timothy. "They said it should've been here by now. Have you seen it?" 

In Jack's drug hazed mind, he dimly remembered a golden tin with a red silk ribbon that had been full of candy. He had given it to... 

"Oh. Um... nope," Jack shook his head. "Haven't seen it..." 

~O~ 

Despite Jack's reassurances to Timothy, he did not get any better. He actually got worse. 

He didn't feel energized from Rhys's hellish song, but sleep brought terrible nightmares. In all of them he would die, unable to wake up before he did. He'd get killed by his grandmother, by his previous wives and lovers, by bandits, by vault monsters. All in gorily gruesome ways. Ways that he swore he could still feel when he woke up. 

So he began to avoid sleeping, but his paranoia seemed to have been cranked up as well as he was jumping at little sounds in his office and could swear that someone was always right outside his door, ready to murder him. After a while he stopped going to his office and stayed in his penthouse, but that barely helped his paranoia. After a few days of little to no sleep, he began to see things. He'd see horrors in the shadows, but the worst was one night when he started getting visits from his daughter. 

Very few people knew about Jack's daughter Angel, and fewer still new about her untimely demise. While Jack would never argue that he had been father of the year, he had always felt that he did what was best for her. He'd done what he did to protect her. But this vision of Angel was always sickly looking, sometimes already decaying, and she would cry and wail to her father. She would damn him for his actions or beg him for help. She'd scream and sob and beg him to help or stop hurting her. No matter what Jack said she would continue until Jack felt crushed beneath his guilt. If he ever tried to touch the hallucination, it would shatter and Jack's hands would be dripping with eridium infused blood. 

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. 

Jack had set up emergency transportation to Pandora, clutching a large box of gems, shields, gold, anything that might appeal to Rhys, including the siren artifacts he had gotten from Shade. The drive out to Rhys had been a reckless one that had claimed the lives of quite a few innocent skags, but Jack paid them all no mind. He screeched to a halt at the bolder formation and drug the box out of the car with him. 

Rhys was sitting by the fire, still wearing the glasses, but also wearing Jack's jacket that had 'gone missing' a few days before. he fixed the CEO with a neutral expression as Jack dumped the box of treasures at Rhys's feet. 

"Please," Jack rasped brokenly. "Please... make it stop. For the love of god! Make it stop!" Rhys stood, and Jack clung to his long legs like a child, broken and miserable. He'd never begged like this before, never been so thoroughly broken, and was never so desperate to make a deal. "Please! Please..." he sobbed and pressed his face into Rhys's torn pants, mixing tears with desert dust. He shook and shivered as he felt Rhys run a hand through his hair. He leaned into that contact, craving comfort from his own tortured mind, but didn't let go. He looked up to see Rhys remove the glasses and smile in a pitying way. Then he began to hum. 

Near instant relief flooded Jack, and he actually sobbed a sigh. His heartbeat slowed and his mind quieted, once more transported to a state of bliss. He felt safe, he felt protected, he felt all his nightmares fade away. Rhys gently removed Jack's hands and helped him lie back as he began to sing. Jack looked up at Pandora's night sky, seeking Helios and Elpis's illuminating light. The soft crackle of the fire and Rhys's beautiful voice were the last things he heard as he slowly slipped into a much needed slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the late update! I couldn't decide how this chapter should go. I had so many different scenes in my head. Still, thank you all for sticking it out and waiting for me! You guys are all so awesome! Please comment and let me know what you think.


	12. The Moneyman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack reconciles with Rhys and is given a gift.

Rhys couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

This was the second person who had bothered to stay with him and who kept coming back. While there wasn't much communication, the man brought him very nice gifts and Rhys wanted to keep him. The previous man had been much kinder and gentler to him, and Rhys owed him so much for helping him replace his lost eye and arm. Which made Rhys very sad that was unable to. The previous man had stopped coming back a long time ago. Rhys had been worried that a bandit had killed him, but he had no way of knowing. 

Then this man had come along. This man was very different from the other one. He was bigger, louder, and he had pulled a gun on Rhys. That was something Rhys did not like. While he didn't mind using guns, he did not like having them pointed at him. Even worse, this man had tried to steal the previous man's glasses from him. And that had led to Rhys having to punish him. Rhys didn't like punishing people, but he would if needed. Several bones and skeletons hidden in his treasure cache showed that. 

Still, he decided not to kill this man yet. He'd brought Rhys a large box of treasure, and that was a good apology in Rhys's eyes. Plus this man seemed to recognize the logo from the previous man's glasses, and from his arm. Maybe he could help Rhys find his old friend. If he could, Rhys would be happy. If he couldn't then Rhys could just kill him later. After all, it was dangerous for people to know about him. Rhys could hold his own in a fight, but the bandits had been toting some pretty big guns when he lost his limb, and he learned just how dangerous the world had become. He'd had to flee, but thankfully the bandits hadn't been able to find his cache, and his old friend had been able to fix him. 

Rhys was still thinking things over as he sat beside his fire. The sun was just coming up and Jack was still asleep. Rhys was slowly stroking Jack's hair while the man snored, but he ignored the rumbling sounds as he continued to think over what to do. He remembered his old friend had given him something before he stopped coming back. Maybe Jack could use it to find him! Rhys had always wanted his friend to come back. It was so lonely out there without anyone else, but Rhys had yet to find his family and had all but given up on doing so several hundred years ago... 

Jack began to shift and slowly woke up, mismatched eyes opening to look up at Rhys. He yawned heavily and nuzzled the hand that was still stroking his hair. Rhys chuckled, but gently rolled Jack out of his lap. He had something he'd need to give Jack. Jack flopped into the sand, still content and feeling the effects of Rhys's song. It was when he got sand in his mouth that he seemed to snap out of it. "Urgh!" He sat up and spat the sand out, brushing it from his face. "The hell! Wait..." he looked around and saw Rhys entering his cache again. The siren didn't seem angry, had he forgiven him? Jack groaned and rubbed his temple, trying to shake off the images he had been plagued with. His undead daughter had been just a bit too much for him. Not to mention his demonic grandmother. Rhys made another appearance, wearing the glasses and Jack's coat (son of a bitch, Jack hadn't even noticed his had been missing that day). He was also carrying a small box that rattled with each movement. 

"Hey cupcake," Jack cleared his throat. "So... how ya doing? Doing good? Feeling better? Not gonna... not gonna do that again?" Rhys's response was to point at Jack and then at himself. 

"Sorry," he said. He gave an expectant face. It took Jack a minute or two to realize that Rhys was expecting Jack to apologize. Like hell! After all Jack had been through, Rhys should be the one apologizing. Besides, Jack apologized to no one. He was never in the wrong. Never. Jack folded his arms and huffed petulantly. He wasn't going to give in. He was the bigger man here. 

"Sorry," Rhys repeated his pointing with more emphasis, expecting his apology. Jack didn't move or say anything. Not happening. No way in hell was he apologizing. He smirked, but it started to fade when Rhys's eyes began to darken. Jack was reminded of Rhys's 'feral side' and came to a decision in record time. 

"Ugh! Fine! I'm sorry, ok? I won't steal from you again," he spat on the ground as if the apology had left a bad taste in his mouth, but Rhys seemed satisfied. "Whatcha got there, cupcake?" Jack looked down and poked the box curiously. Rhys pointed to his glasses, then to the box. 

"On," he said. On what? Put the glasses on the box? But then Rhys was holding the box out to Jack, seeming to struggle with his words. "F...find. Find. Find on." Jack furrowed his brows, still trying to figure out what Rhys was saying. The box was nudged into his chest, and Jack finally got the clue to take it. 

"Find on," Rhys said, now tapping his glasses. He made a shooing motion in Jack's direction. Jack was still confused over the box, but decided that he needed to get back. Rhys was obviously shooing him off, and he did have work to do. Plus he wanted to see what was in the box. Jack took the box to the car, setting it on the passenger seat, and then drove off into the desert. "P...p...please," Rhys said quietly, holding the glasses to his chest. "Please find on." 

~O~ 

Back in his office, Jack eagerly opened the box. It had been sealed well to prevent sand and dust from getting inside. The box was full of Hyperion issued data discs. Strange... why did Rhys have these? How did he get them? Then Jack remembered Rhys had pointed to the glasses. Did these discs belong to the employee who had cooked their records to hide Rhys? 

Jack quickly shoved the first disc (they were numbered) into his computer and loaded it. A text file opened up, and Jack scanned it over. Looked like some sort of personal journal entry. There was no date on it, and the file hadn't been named anything special. Jack leaned forward and began to read. 

_Something's wrong. I think I'm going crazy. I'm so exhausted, and I can't stop thinking about him. Why did I ever find him? Why have I kept this up this long? Risking my life on Pandora just to see him again. I probably shouldn't be writing this down, but I have to. I have to collect my thoughts somehow. I have to document this, but I can't let anyone know. No one can know what I found. No one can know about Rhys._

_I found him months ago, but I kept quiet. I can't let Hyperion know. I can't let Handsome Jack know. He'd probably enslave Rhys and try to use him to power up his little worker bees. No one can know, and I'll take it to my grave._

_So tired... I'm just so tired. It's hard to work. It's hard to think. It's hard to do anything, but I can't go to the doctor. How would they treat me? I need Rhys. I need his song. I need... god, I need some sleep. God help me, god help us all. I could very well die from this, but it's too late to undo the damage. It's too late to stop now. So I'll write it all down. Record it and sacrifice it to the desert._

_Signed, The Moneyman_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two stories that my motivation seems to split between. Now that the other is getting more popular it's getting worse, but I promise I will try to have more regular updates. I'm still ironing out how I want this story to go. So many of you like the cutesy aspect of it, but I'm wondering if I should add some angst elements or horror parts. Let me know what you guys think!


	13. Tales from the Moneyman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack reads what's on the data discs.

Jack had waited until night to continue reading the discs.

He knew he wouldn't be sleeping, so why not use that time for something else? He was currently at his desk with his reading glasses on, and a lit cigarette in his hand. The bag of pretzels he'd been munching on were ignored for the time being, his attention instead on the screen of his computer. 

_I guess I should blame Jack for it all. That stupid monthly lottery. Years of rigging it so I wouldn't be chosen, but then I was sick that month and couldn't rig it. I was chosen! Karma, I guess. They dumped me on the planet with only three items I had chosen: a canteen of water, a pack of jerky, and a knife. I wasn't expecting on finding ammunition for a gun, and that sadistic bastard of a CEO counted guns and ammunition as two separate things._

Jack took a drag of his cigarette and chuckled. That lottery had ended months ago, but he had so enjoyed changing the rules on it every month to keep those worms on their toes. 'Sadistic bastard of a CEO', huh? Well, this guy had hit the nail on the head. 

_I'd been wandering around all day on that planet. It's impossible to find shelter in a desert. I was half tempted to just dig a hole, but I had nothing to dig with. After I had walked the meat off my feet, I heard... singing. The most beautiful singing I'd ever heard. No matter what I felt or thought, my mind and body clamored for me to follow it and go find who was singing. It was a man. Or it looked like a man. I don't remember much of what happened, but I remember him singing and taking things from me. I remember giving him these things and wanting nothing more than to leave it all behind and stay with him. On the first night I gave him my bowtie. On the second night I gave him my knife. On the third night I gave him my glasses._

_After that, Hyperion came for me and took me back to Helios. For a while I wondered if it had all been some kind of heat induced hallucination, but at the same time the strangest things happened. I could no longer sleep, no matter how hard I tried. But at the same time I wasn't tired. I felt like I could do anything I wanted, and my superiors were happy to see an increase in my productivity. It kept up for two weeks, and then I crashed. Hard. They sent me to the medbay, but they could only diagnose me with exhaustion. They kept me quarantined in case it was some kind of Pandoran virus, but they couldn't find anything. When they released me I again rigged the lottery. I had to go back and find that man. I had to figure out what was happening. ___

Obviously this guy had gone through exactly what Jack was going through. He read a bit more, learning that it had been the Moneyman who had given Rhys his name. He'd started rigging the lottery so that he would be chosen every time. It was a miserable cycle of siren songs and exhaustion, but then Jack saw an entry that looked very interesting. 

_Those bastards! Bandit scum! I wasn't there to protect my Rhys and they attacked him! Rhys managed to chase them off, I could see the blood and corpses, but now he's missing an arm and eye. Despite the fight, he was still so happy to see me. His wounds are healed over, but his limbs are still gone. I have to fix this somehow. I know Hyperion is putting out a new line of cybernetics. I hate to do this, but... maybe I can steal some of them..._

_I got the cybernetics! I got someone airlocked, but I don't care. Oddly enough I really don't care. It's kind of scary. You see, the cool thing about working in accounting is that you can play with other people's money if you're good at covering your tracks. I'm not, but I have a friend who is, and this friend also owes me a lot of favors. Anyway, I did a transfer from some executive schmuck and then arranged to have the goods delivered. Then all I had to do was wait, avoid some cameras, and then snatch the package away after the delivery guy had left. No one was any wiser. I heard the guy complained to Handsome Jack himself, but I picked a guy Jack didn't like so Jack just airlocked him to save the trouble. Now all I have to do is find a doctor to attach these to Rhys..._

Jack vaguely remembered the guy that was mentioned. Some moron who obviously used murder and not skill to climb the ladder. Oh well, looks like he got what was coming to him. Still, Jack was uneasy about how this guy was able to set this up. He'd have a heavy audit done in Accounting to make sure no one else was playing with money that wasn't theirs. Jack extinguished his cigarette and munched on a few pretzels instead. This guy was pretty good, whoever he was. Who knew some nerd from accounting could do all this? Guy must be built like a badass... Jack shook his head and got back to reading. 

_The operation was a success. I found a doctor and managed to bribe him with some more borrowed money to do the operation. Of course I told Rhys to stay quiet during the whole thing just in case. But the doctor was able to attach everything and I made sure he didn't activate any kind of connections to the echonet. God forbid someone track Rhys and try to capture him. I can't let anyone from Hyperion get their hands on him. It's too risky. Jack would probably turn him into some kind of enslaved battery! Regardless, Rhys seems much happier now. I still have no way to communicate with him, but I managed to teach him a few words. I've been looking for translators, but haven't found any..._

_It's been months since I first met Rhys. I'm worried about my health, but I can't make myself leave. I think it's Rhys's spell. It's making me not want to leave. This can't kill me, can it? It's impossible to find any information, and I can't ask Rhys myself. Maybe I should try skipping out on the lottery this month. This spell can't last forever, right?_

_It can last forever! Oh god, can it! I've just spent the last week in the medbay and nearly slept through it all. The doctors are baffled and they've been running tests to see what it could be. I can't tell them. I can't tell anyone. Nothing good will come of it for either myself or Rhys. I have to keep him safe. I have to keep him hidden. I've been able to find him with the tracker built into my glasses, but I worry that someone might follow me and find him too. I'll do the lottery next month if only for my own health. I wonder if Rhys is missing me..._

_Oh my god! I killed him! I can't believe it! Someone followed me and found Rhys. They told me when we got back and said they were going to Jack, and then... I don't know what came over me. I just remember thinking that I had to protect Rhys, and then... he was dead. I'd stabbed him with the knife I took. Slit his throat too. There was so much blood... I ran back to my place and washed it all off. I burned my clothes. I know murder isn't exactly taboo in this place, but I had long ago said I would never do it. I would never murder anyone. But I did. Rhys's spell made me do it. I can't do this anymore. I can't risk it. Who knows what will happen next time. I'll do the lottery one more time. I'll disable the tracker on the glasses I gave to Rhys and then... that's it. I doubt Rhys will know what's going on. I doubt he'll know that I won't be coming back. It makes me so sad to do this, but... I have no choice. I'll give Rhys these discs so that no one will find out. I'll cash in my last favor and have my medical records changed. I'll do everything I can to cover my tracks. And then it'll be back to life as usual. Numbers, rigging the lottery, asshole bosses, a dickbag CEO... no more Rhys. No more songs._

_Signing off for the last time, The Moneyman._

Jack crumpled the empty bag of pretzels and sat back. He did not like this. Rhys was able to turn a peaceful man into a murderer. What could he do with Handsome Jack? What could his spell make him do? Jack turned the computer off and sighed. He had to find this guy. He had to find The Moneyman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found the plot again! Seriously, my chapters kind of shift between pointless fluff and actual plot, but I think it's a good balance. And now new questions to answer! What happened to the mysterious Moneyman? Will Jack find him? Will he ever be reunited with his siren buddy Rhys?


	14. The Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack looks for The Moneyman.

Two weeks had gone by and Jack still had no leads.

"This is bullshit!" He roared one night. Rhys looked up from where he was cooking and raised an eyebrow. Jack was huffing and puffing, sitting on the ground with his arms crossed, and looking like a pouting child. 

"He's scrubbed everything clean! I couldn't trace him through the discs, I couldn't trace him through the lottery, I can't trace the medical records, the security cameras were all blank, just who the hell is he?! How did he wipe everything so clean? Who was the friend who helped him? So help me, I'll airlock that son of a bitch!" Jack continued to rant as Rhys carried over some meat and fruit for Jack. He was still using the incriminating candy tin to fold the food, but Timothy was nowhere nearby so who cared? Rhys set the food in front of Jack, and the CEO surprisingly didn't even notice that he was eating 'poor people food' as he shoveled it into his mouth. 

"What does he even look like?" Jack said, bits of food falling from his mouth. Rhys gave a disapproving look before shoving a scrap of cloth over Jack's mouth. Jack growled as he chewed and swallowed his food. "Seriously cupcake, what does he look like? I'm flying blind here. Huh? Blonde hair, black hair, short hair, long hair, brown eyes, blue eyes, does he have a beard, a scar, a tattoo, a gross birthmark?" He began playing with his hair and face as he rambled, Rhys still looking confused as he ate his own food. 

"On!" Jack finally snapped. "What the hell does your precious little On look like?" This time Rhys seemed to get the message. He tapped his chin in thought before he began to style his hair with his fingers. He swept most of it to the side, then used sand to stain his chin until it resembled a goatee. Jack stared as Rhys tugged at his own hair, as if to signify the color, and traced an odd shape on his neck. Jack tilted his head as he committed this look to memory. It didn't help much, but it was better than nothing. 

"On," said Rhys. "Numbers. Moneyman. Bike." He seemed to be running through any words in his limited vocabulary that would help Jack. Again, it wasn't much, but Jack was grateful. He continued to eat until he was finished, but he then made a show of gagging loudly. He'd finally figured out that he had been eating 'poor people food' 

~O~ 

It was another week later and Jack decided to call in some help. 

"You want me to sit in for the next three weeks?" Timothy looked mildly panicked. "Jack, I've never sat in for that long before. Someone's gonna figure out that I'm not you." 

"I spent millions of dollars getting you to look like me and months on end getting you to act like me," said Jack. "This is what I pay you for. I have a side project that I need to put all my attention on, but I can't just leave meetings undone. But luckily for me, I have an oh so handsome body double to sit in on those meetings for me. And I know he'll do a good job... or I'll throw him out the airlock. I made you, and I can make another." 

"Ugh, I didn't say i wouldn't do it," Timothy said. "I was just shocked. You barely use me when it comes to Helios. Why are you suddenly asking for me to do this for three weeks? And what's this important side project?" 

"Nunya damn business!" Jack pointed a finger in Timothy's face. "It's important and I need to work on it. That's all you need to know. Now then, I'll send you all the shit you need to know, and if I hear that you miss anything I'll make you wish you were stuck in a Rak hive. Capiche?" 

"Whatever," Timothy rolled his eyes. "Just don't do anything stupid or harmful to your health. I'm worried about you as much as it is. I'm so close to getting those stupid loans paid off and I can't have you die on me now." 

"See this is why I love you, Tim Tams," Jack grinned. "I can always get you to do as you're told by waving some cash in your face. Now get out, I have shit to do and so do you." 

"One last thing," said Timothy. "Did my candy finally come in?" Jack took a minute to think. 

"You mean those ultra rare, ultra expensive, ultra yummy chocolates from the Edens? Yeah, they came in. And they were delicious. You have great taste." 

"Goddamnit, Jack!" Timothy stood up with a growl and stomped out of Jack's office. The CEO was laughing so hard he wiped a tear from his eye. 

~O~ 

It was another two weeks and Jack was running off of pure stubbornness and determination. 

The voice in the back of his head was telling him to just give up. He was wasting time looking for someone that was probably dead, even if he couldn't find the guy int he death notices either. His pride was telling him to keep looking. He was getting close, he could feel it. He was closing in on this mystery man even though he had nothing to show for it. 

Jack was waiting for the elevator as he plotted his next move. Things were going ok with Timothy so he didn't have to worry about that. The double wasn't asking any questions, but continued to look at Jack in a worried way that bothered the CEO. He was fine! True that he was no longer sleeping except when Rhys sang to him, but that wasn't a bad thing. He still had check ups with the doctor if only to ease his own worries. After all, he still had no idea if these songs would have any adverse effects on his health. God forbid he start aging faster or something. He didn't need anymore grey hairs, and a mask could hide only so many wrinkles. He needed his handsome mug to sell his products. 

The elevator doors opened, and Jack almost decided to let this one go. Vasquez was standing inside and was in a deep conversation with someone on his ECHO device. Jack sighed heavily in annoyance, but he got into the elevator anyway. Vasquez was ignoring him for once as he growled at the person he was talking to. 

"Look, I don't care how it happened," he said to the screen. "Just do your job and fix it." 

"I don't even know how it happened," said the other person. "How can you screw up something that badly. This is going to take me a good while to fix, no thanks to you." 

"Then why are you still talking?" Vasquez snapped. "Get to it. Chop chop." 

Jack glanced over at Vasquez's screen. Who was it? He spotted green glasses. An accountant then. He'd have Timothy investigate to see what Wallethead had messed up. He took a closer look at the accountant so that he could tell Timothy who to talk to. Let's see... side swept brown hair, matching goatee, nerdy little bowtie... 

The call ended, and the screen went blank, but Jack had seen enough. With a jolt, he snatched the ECHO device from Vasquez and quickly fiddled with it to make it show the last call. Jack froze the image on the screen and examined it. No... it had to be him. It had to be! 

"S-Sir?" Vasquez asked in concern. Jack shoved the ECHO device in the other's face. 

"Who is this? What's his name?" He growled, and Vasquez paled in fear, but he managed to stutter out a response. 

"Just some lowly accountant. His name is Vaughn, I think..." he backed up slightly, flush against the elevator wall. 

Vaughn? Vaughn... Vaughn... On! It was him! Jack nearly laughed in sudden joy. Instead, he redirected the elevator to the Accounting department. 

"I got him," he hissed, tossing the ECHO device aside and ignoring Vasquez's look of confusion. "I finally got the son of a bitch..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love using Timothy in the story. I still haven't played as him so I don't know much about him, but hopefully I'm doing a good job with him. Anyways, thank you all so much for your support so far! Please comment and tell me what you think.


	15. The CEO vs. The Moneyman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meeting that everyone has been waiting for.

The accounting department was a regular cubicle farm.

Jack was vaguely reminded of the rats that were made to solve mazes as he navigated the narrow halls and paths the dark cubicle walls created. Only this time there would be something way better than cheese at the end. Now that he finally had a name and a picture, it had been too easy to look up what cubicle this Vaughn worked at. Little shit was buried deep in the department, but Jack would get him. As Jack walked, he failed to notice the whispers from the other accountants as they spread a warning that Jack was there and that he had an expression that promised murder. There was a flurry of movement behind the cubicle walls as several employees quickly made themselves or their spaces more presentable, or quickly got back to work if they had been slacking. 

Jack didn't spare anyone so much as a glance as he neared unit 2874, the one that Vaughn worked at. He leaned in with a triumphant smile, but it faltered quickly. The cubicle was empty. The computer had been shut down and the chair had been tucked neatly under the desk. Jack growled and stalked back down the hallway. Little shit! He was supposed to be working. Oh, but Jack knew where his little hole in the wall apartment was. He'd look there as well. 

But of course, he wasn't there either. Jack fired a few rounds from his favorite gun into the walls of Vaughn's apartment and looked around for any clue about where he could be. If he wasn't working and he wasn't in his apartment, then where was he? Jack pushed papers and furniture aside as he looked for clues. He finally caught a break when a note on the fridge reminded that Vaughn needed to pick up his prescription today. Ah, then he was in the medbay. Good thing too, because if he tried anything violent, Jack would break his arms... 

Jack was impatiently tapping his foot as he rode the elevator down. He had to hurry of he wanted to catch Vaughn. Granted it would be easier to just call him into his office, but he didn't want to give it away that he was looking for him. If Vaughn really didn't trust him he might try to run, and Jack couldn't have that. Better to swoop in like a Rak and carry his prey off. 

The elevator dinged and Jack couldn't believe his awesome luck. Standing there in all his nerdy, lanky, goatee glory was Vaughn. He was clutching a small pharmacy bag and was nose deep in his echo pad. No doubt he was looking over numbers and figures and normally Jack would be happy and leave him to it, but not today. Vaughn looked up from his echo pad and his eyes widened a fraction as he saw who was in the elevator. He took a step back, eyes darting around as if looking for a hiding spot. 

"Um... I can c-catch the next one," he said, about to take another step back. Jack quickly reached forward and pulled him in by the front of his vest. 

"Nonsense, cupcake," he held Vaughn while the doors closed and grinned. "No sense wasting time. You know how much I hate that. Well, unless I'm doing it. Anyway..." he reached forward and hit the emergency stop. The elevator jerked as it halted and Vaughn nervously looked around again, "I wanted to speak to you. Man to man. Well, man to legend." 

Vaughn gave a nervous chuckle as he tried to distance himself from the CEO, but all too soon his back met the elevator wall and he realized he was trapped. Jack leaned forward, towering over Vaughn and crowding his space. 

"Now you're probably wondering what you did wrong or whose account you messed up, and this isn't about that. Well, kinda. I mean you did mess up some accounts years ago, and it all ties into one thing: Rhys. Name ringing any bells for you?" Jack cut right to the chase and he could see Vaughn pale slightly. 

"R-Rhys?" He repeated. "Nope! I don't know any Rhys's. I mean, I only really have one friend and that isn't their name. Why? You looking for a Rhys? I'll keep my eyes peeled." 

"Forget your eyes, how about you peel that brain of yours because some of it's obviously not working," Jack growled. "You really think you can pull one over on me? I know everything. I know about Rhys, I know about the cybernetics, I know about you stealing from Hyperion and wiping your records, I know it all. So how about you come clean with me?" 

Jack smirked down at Vaughn, happy to have finally cornered the little worm. Vaughn was quiet for all of ten seconds before he suddenly reached up and wrapped his hands around Jack's neck. Jack grunted in surprise as he was forced back against the elevator wall. He looked down at Vaughn to see the accountant had a wild and almost feral look in his eyes, and his grip was much stronger than Jack would have suspected. 

"Where is he? What did you do to him? I kept him hidden so you wouldn't find him and enslave him!" Jack was so much taller than Vaughn, but the little accountant was still able to cut off Jack's oxygen despite Jack clawing at his hands. He couldn't fire his gun without the risk of it ricocheting and hitting him as well, so he did the only thing he could do. 

"-son a bitch! Where is he?!" Vaughn suddenly let go as Jack headbutt him hard. Vaughn stumbled back and hit the other wall while Jack rubbed his throat and wheezed to catch his breath. 

"Fucking asshole!" Jack barked. "You got a lotta nerve!" But even as Jack looked at Vaughn, he realized it wasn't nerve. Vaughn himself had confessed to killing a man to protect Rhys, and having done so involuntarily. Was this the same? Was Vaughn still firmly stuck in Rhys's spell? Vaughn groaned from the ground, rubbing his head where Jack had hit him and pulling himself up on his knees. He finally looked up at Jack with the most exhausted look Jack had ever seen on anyone. 

"Please tell me where he is," He crawled towards Jack like a weak addict, brushing his medicine aside. "I need... I need to hear him sing again. I'm so tired..." 

Once again, Jack was reminded that this could very well be him in the future. Shade had said the only way to get rid of the spell was to kill the siren who had sung to you. If Jack was unable to do so, would he end up like Vaughn? Would he end up dependent on medications and vitamins to keep his strength up, to sleep? The sight unnerved him. 

"Get up, you dum dum," Jack pulled Vaughn to his feet. "He's down on Pandora. I put a tracker on his home so I can find him. Apparently you did the same, right?" 

"My glasses," Vaughn said softly. "He liked them so much I knew he wouldn't get rid of them. And I knew they had a tracker..." 

"So every time you rigged my lottery you took a sensor with you so you could track him and find him, right?" Jack prompted. "Smart move, kiddo, but you also caused a real stink in accounting with that shit moved you pulled with the cybernetics." 

"I... I did it for him," Vaughn defended. "He would have died otherwise. Pandora's dangerous enough when you have all your limbs. I did what I had to do, and don't tell me you wouldn't have. Let me guess, you're under his spell too." 

"That's not what we're talking about, kiddo," Jack said. He folded his arms. "You have a friend who was able to fuck up my system and records, and you embezzled a pretty penny from me. That means that both of you should be floating out in space by now. Or I could toss you into the stalker enclosures. Either way, both of you should be dead for fucking me over. Now I might be willing to spare you if you help me with this siren shit, but your friend has to go. So tell me... what's their name?" 

Vaughn looked so tired, but he also looked like he had just a bit of resolve still in him. He narrowed his eyes behind his glasses and folded his own arms. 

"I'm not selling my friend out," he said. "You can kill me of you want, but I'm not letting you touch them." To his surprise, Jack started laughing. 

"A real noble nerd," he chuckled. "But I'm not asking. I am ordering you, as CEO, as your boss, as Handsome fucking Jack, to tell me the name of the peon who helped you." But Vaughn kept his mouth shut and stayed silent. He wasn't going to do it. No matter what Jack threatened or offered. He wouldn't do it. 

"Ok," Jack said after a few minutes. "How about this. You tell me the name of your friend... and I'll take you to see Rhys again." 

Jack knew he'd found Vaughn's weak point when the accountant's eyes widened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! They met! Now we can push the plot forward again. Thank you all for your support and please let me know how I'm doing.


	16. Back to the Place where We First Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaughn gets his wish.

Vaughn couldn't believe he had done it.

He had sold out his best friend. He'd sent her to her death, and for what? So he could see Rhys again. He couldn't deny his intense desire to see the siren again. After all, that's what had gotten him in this mess to begin with. Still, underneath the horror of what he had done, he felt excited to be seeing his friend again. 

He was standing in the shuttle, eyes glued to the window as he watched Yvette's corpse float by. Her face was frozen in an expression of terror, the last expression she had in life, and her arms were out as if to shield herself from some enemy. Vaughn chewed his fingernails as Jack prattled on in the background. 

"Gotta say, I was surprised when you told me. I mean, I'd never peg you for the backstabbing type. It's kinda a nice look for you. And oh my god, she was so scared! Did you see how bad she was shaking when I through her out the airlock? And those screams. Ah, music to my ears. Well, not as nice as Rhys's songs, but still pretty nice..." 

Jack's voice faded to the background as Vaughn let out a silent whimper. He'd really killed her. Sold her out. And she had done nothing but help him along the way. Granted, she did all that because she owed him in the first place, but still. Vaughn had once again murdered someone because of Rhys. He had tried to hard to put it all behind him. To start anew, and to shrug off whatever hold Rhys had had on him. Jack had been the one to fuck it all up and drag him back into this mess, and the CEO looked none the apologetic. 

"Hey, you listening?" Vaughn flinched when Jack slung his arm around the accountant's shoulder. "I said it feels kinda liberating, doesn't it? I mean, look at it this way: that broad had the power to destroy you. She could've thrown you under the spaceship as it were, and she could've told anyone about all the naughty little things you'd done. Well now you don't have to worry. Now only me and you know, and I always look out for my team. After all, we're in this together, kiddo." 

While Jack was cocky on the outside, he was thinking things over on the inside. Twice this little nerd had killed someone, and both times had been for the same reason. He began to worry once again about his own predicament. How far deep into Rhys's control was he? Would he end up like Vaughn? An utter slave to the siren? Vaughn looked eight shades of exhausted and drained in every way. In short, he looked like hell. Jack had already felt the effects of not hearing Rhys's song. Would he end up like that too? Would he be dependent on vitamins and medications just to function daily? He hated such a thought, and he was determined to not end up like that. He'd find a way. He could always just bring Rhys to Helios... 

After the ship landed, Vaughn reluctantly got into a car with Jack. He had very little faith in the CEO's driving skills, but the tracking device Jack clutched gave him the persuasion he needed. He was still terrified for his life as Jack proceeded to drive in the most reckless way possible, prompting the accountant to wonder if Jack really did think he was immortal or something. Did he not get the memo that Rhys's song didn't grant that? Regardless, Vaughn was only too happy when Jack eventually slowed down and consulted the tracking device. He vibrated with nerves as he watched the other man turn sharply off the road and out into open desert. Rhys was nearby. 

Vaughn was surprised to see that Rhys was still at the exact same boulder formation as he had been before. It brought back painful memories that he couldn't help but remember. He had sunned with Rhys on that very rock, he had sat with other by the fire pit in the sand, he had slept in the shaded areas while Rhys hummed and sang to him. He was so lost in memories, that he didn't notice the figure rushing towards him until they cried out. 

"Oooooooooooonnn!" Rhys scooped Vaughn up and swung him around as he gave a musical laugh. Vaughn felt like a piece of himself had just been returned after a long time of missing it. Jack laughed at the expression on Vaughn's face as he dug a few things out of the trunk of the car. 

"Good to see you again, kiddo. Brought some stuff for our songs. Primo stuff here, the best. Shame you don't like my guns because we just put a new line out. Seriously, you use freaking Maliwan..." 

Rhys set Vaughn down and plucked the glasses from his face, babbling in some old foreign language, and tugging Vaughn towards his home. Jack followed and set the boxes down for Rhys to open. Rhys was fiddling with Vaughn's glasses, and Jack quickly took them away. 

Ah, nonononono," he admonished, passing them back to Vaughn. "I don't need money disappearing on me. Here, come play with this stuff." He nudged the boxes even as Rhys pouted. Vaughn was still in near shock that he was back with Rhys, and he had no idea how to handle it. It was like he was in a fog and couldn't quite see where he was. He continued to stare at Rhys while the siren dug through the boxes that Jack had given him. He pulled out gold jewelry and fancy shields, satisfied with the quality. Jack excitedly sat down and pulled Vaughn down to join him. 

"And now, the moment we've been waiting for. Here's where it all becomes worth it. Where whats-her-face becomes a worthy sacrifice," he said. 

Rhys cleared his throat and began to sing. Vaughn gasped and closed his eyes as Rhys's magic washed over him. It felt incredible, like ice water after years of wandering a desert. It was such a relief to him in every way, not just physically. Even as he listened he could feel his strength returning, and he lay back in the sand as he felt all his stress and agony wash away. Some voice in the back of his head sobbed because he was once again returning to the cycle that had nearly killed him before. He was going to have to go through all that recovery once again. All the medications and vitamins and hospital stays. All the pining and feelings of being incomplete, he was going to have to go through it all again. 

But that didn't matter now. 

All that mattered was that Rhys was singing to him once again. He was finally being soothed and healed in a way that only Rhys could provide. He heard Jack lay down next to him, but he paid it no mind even as a twinge of possessiveness rose up. He wanted Rhys to himself, but he knew that Rhys had laid claim to Jack as well. He would share Rhys, but only because Rhys wanted it. With those thoughts, Vaughn drifted off to the first real sleep he'd had in so long. 

~O~ 

Rhys was cooking when Vaughn woke up. He slowly sat up and took off his glasses to rub his eyes, and sniffed the air. Rhys was cooking Rakk meat and fruit again. Vaughn vaguely remembered all the times he had eaten that with Rhys. Jack was still asleep and snoring on the ground, but Vaughn paid him no mind. He was back with Rhys again, and that was all that mattered. He walked over to sit next to Rhys, laying his head on the other's shoulder. Rhys greeted him in his native tongue and pat Vaughn's head as if he were a puppy. Rhys's voice and the crackling of the fire were almost enough to put Vaughn back to sleep, but he stayed awake and listened to the other talk. It was as if he had never left. All the pain and suffering were but distant memories, and he was back where he belonged. This time, he wouldn't leave. He would stay and serve his siren like he had wanted to before. Why had even left then? 

A log popped and shot a large spark at Vaughn, burning his hand and snapping the spell. He shook his head and looked around as if he had just realized where he was. He looked at Rhys's big smile, at the fire, the food, and then back at Jack. He was back with Rhys. He was back under Rhys's spell. He was back at square one with nothing but a long road of hell ahead of him if he wanted to recover again. And if he didn't recover, if he didn't get away from Rhys... then he would be back to doing awful things. Who else would die because of this? What other trouble would Vaughn get into? His control over his life had once again been snatched away and given to Rhys. This time, he had only himself to blame for letting Jack take him back here. 

Rhys was confused when Vaughn started to silently cry. He hummed a soothing tune and pulled Vaughn into his arms. His friend was crying, but he had no idea why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *looks at previous upload date* I am so sorry. I've been so busy at work that I haven't been able to update sooner. But I promise I will try to update quicker. Thank you all for your patience and support! Please comment and tell me what you think.


	17. The Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaughn shares something that does not bode well.

Jack didn't ask Vaughn why he had been crying. 

He chalked it up to Vaughn being a baby and lost interest in it soon enough. The one thing he still questioned, however, was why Vaughn was clinging to Rhys like a lost child. He sat so close to him they could have been joined at the hip, and he was always putting his head on the other's shoulder. Jack had no idea just how powerful Rhys's magic was, or if the other was even doing it on purpose. Even so, the sight didn't sit well with him. Handsome goddamn Jack should never be brought down this low. 

Rhys had continued to babble happily in his native language, interjecting with the few English words he knew. He seemed to be so happy to have both Vaughn and Jack together with him. He was still caring for Vaughn's sour mood, encouraging him to eat and softly humming to the distressed accountant. Jack likened it to a mother hen, and he wondered what sort of culture Rhys came from. Sirens were alive thousands of years ago and all but went extinct. Rhys could very well have been on his own since then. He'd obviously come across a bandit or two if his treasure trove was any indication. But how much actual company had Rhys kept, alien or human? He still hadn't mastered English save the little bit Vaughn had taught him. Had he really been on his own this whole time? 

Jack shook himself from his thoughts as he begrudgingly ate his bandit food. One of these days he was going to introduce Rhys to real food. Gourmet food. Food that had actual flavor and didn't taste like ass like this stuff did. That brought up the thought of taking Rhys to Helios. He could take him up there for a little bit, couldn't he? Shade had mentioned that taking a Siren away from Pandora would weaken them, but it HAD to be a misstep in translation, right? Sirens had been shipped out to all over from what Shade had told him. Had they all lost their strength and died? Maybe he could just keep a monitor on Rhys while he was up there. Maybe the writings had meant that you had to keep the Siren on Pandora's sand or terrain. He could take some sand back with him and dump it all over the room he would give Rhys. Of course if he managed to figure out how to keep Rhys in Helios then why take him back? Keep him there, take his treasures, use his magic to create a true corporation. One that never slept and was always pumping out new things. Jack chewed as he thought about it, not seeing Vaughn's suspicious look directed his way. 

They decided to stay another night, and Rhys treated them to a different kind of song. This one was accompanied by some kind of weird dance that Rhys performed around the fire. As he sang, Vaughn and Jack felt compelled to join, and both did with great enthusiasm. Jack held Rhys as he danced with him, caught up in the siren's magic, and not caring that he was acting like an idiot. He kept dancing as he passed Rhys on to Vaughn, once again not catching Vaughn's look. 

Rhys soon transitioned into a dance that mostly came from his hips, the Eridian clothes that Jack had bought from Shade twirled and waved in the firelight, and Jack was all too happy to sit down and watch as he caught his breath. Vaughn was watching too, but his hands were fidgeting in the sand as if agitated by something. As the dance went on, Jack leaned forward and placed a kiss on Rhys's palm. The siren blushed and chuckled, and Vaughn's eye twitched behind his glasses. Rhys then bent down and pecked Jack on the cheek, which made the CEO giddy with happiness. The two shared a look, but then Rhys turned around to place a kiss on the top of Vaughn's head. Vaughn seemed to be soothed by the gesture and his twitching stopped. Rhys sang his lullaby and soon both men were asleep. 

~O~ 

The next morning they were awake and Rhys was whimpering and clinging to them both when he understood they were leaving. He didn't want his friends to leave, they had had so much fun last night. Where were they even going? What was so important? He still had things to show them like the new gun he had gotten from a bandit who attacked him. He wanted to show Jack how great he was at sniping with it. But no word he said, English or otherwise, made then men stay. They were all saying their good byes and Rhys was giving them extra tight hugs, wishing them well for the journey home. 

The car ride back to the shuttle was silent as Vaughn stared out the window. He was drumming the fingers of one hand on his thigh while the other supported his head as he leaned his weight on it. Jack was too busy headbanging to heavy rock to notice, but he did eventually turn down the music to speak to Vaughn. 

"What, you got sand in your ass?" He asked, glancing at Vaughn. "What's got you in a pissy mood?" Vaughn didn't respond. Didn't even make any gesture that he had heard Jack at all. Jack pursed his lips, really hating Vaughn's attitude. He'd had a decent stay with Rhys and now Vaughn was bringing him down. Well if Vaughn wanted to play the quiet game, Jack would play it too. 

The ride in the shuttle was just as silent. Jack was scowling to himself as he played around with his echopad if only to bring some sound to the silence. The little chirps and dings of the game he was playing seemed so much louder than usual. Vaughn finally turned his attention to Jack and the CEO looked up to see the other staring at him. 

"What?" He snapped, irritated at the accountant. 

"I hate you so much," Vaughn finally said. "You have no idea what you've done or even what you're doing." 

"That so?" Jack raised an eyebrow and gave a cocky grin. "Well then why don't you tell me since you obviously know fucking everything in this goddamned world." 

Vaughn was up in a flash and he stood over Jack with a murderous expression. 

"You brought me back into this hell!" He said. "I was recovering! I was moving on with my life! And then you come along and ruin everything." 

"That's rich coming from you," said Jack. "You killed your own friend to get here. I didn't make you do shit. That was all you so don't even try to blame me." 

"You put the idea in my head," Vaughn hissed. "You made the offer. You don't do that to a recovering addict." 

"Addict?" Jack finally put his echo pad away. "Is that what this is? You're addicted to Rhys's magic?" He chuckled, but Vaughn just gave a sly grin. 

"And you're not?" At Jack's glare, he pushed on. "You may not be in as deep as I am, but you're on your way. You've been enslaved just as much as I was. Soon you'll be geting worse and everything will be going downhill. You don't know what you're playing with! Rhys's magic is powerful and it does things to you. It changes you. You start doing things you would never do like lie and steal and murder people! Well, maybe you already do that, but the point is you'll be doing it for him! Because you want him to be happy. Because you want to please him. Because you want him to kiss you and love you." 

Jack's eyes darkened as he remembered the night before. The kiss he had given Rhys and the one he had gotten in return. The dance. All the things he had given Rhys. It had started off as just wanting a song, but... as Jack thought about it he realized it was all slowly changing. His desires to bring Rhys to Helios, were they really to better Hyperion? Was there something else buried beneath them? 

"I was just like this," said Vaughn. "I just wanted him to sing, but... then it got worse. I became possessive of him. I wanted to protect him. I wanted him to be happy at all costs, and it nearly killed me! I was ready to get away from the voices!" 

He suddenly covered his mouth as if he had said too much, prompting Jack to jump to his feet. 

"What was that?" Jack snarled. "Voices? The hell are you talking about? What voices? You better tell me, cupcake!" Vaughn was trying to calm his breathing as he covered the rest of his face with his hands. He gave a dark mirthless chuckle and looked back up at Jack. 

"They come later. They sing to you like Rhys does. They tell you to do things that you would never do. They tell you you have to do those things or else Rhys will be in danger, or he'll be unhappy. I heard them before I left Rhys. They told me to kill the snitch. They whispered to me to steal the cybernetics. They... They went away when I almost died, but... sometimes I swear I still heard them. And now... now they're back. I never told anyone because I didn't want people to think me crazy. I didn't even mention them in my records in case someone found them. But you... you'll see what I mean later. When you get in too deep like I did..." 

Jack nervously swallowed. Was Vaughn lying? Was Jack really doomed to start hearing voices? He knew Rhys's magic was powerful, and Shade had told him the only way to be free was to kill Rhys... was this really going to happen to him too? 

"I can hear them now," Vaughn's voice sounded dead as it broke through Jack's thoughts. "I can hear them. Do you know what they're saying?" His hand strayed to his pocket, and he pulled out a small gun that he had taken from Rhys's stash. His eyes were dark and glassy, all light gone. He aimed the gun at Jack and frowned. "They're saying... 'Kill Jack. Because he's going to take Rhys away from you'..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired today, and I wanted to hurry up and get this out before I lost the inspiration. I just love torturing these guys. Thank you all for your support, you guys are awesome!


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